


Self-Reliance

by larislynn



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Angst and Feels, Female Friendship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Found Family, Gen, Light Angst, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:14:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25411468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larislynn/pseuds/larislynn
Summary: Toph has a nightmare and Katara vows to get to the bottom of it.Request: "I want it to be Katara and Toph bonding because I feel like the show only brushed over it and I feel like Katara could be really good for Toph due to her bad relationship with her parents (which also never really got touched on) Maybe Toph is sick or has a nightmare, which lets her open up. Thats up to you. Thank you so much!" (Prompt: "I don't want to be alone.")
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Katara, Toph Beifong & The Gaang
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	Self-Reliance

Sitting in her tent, Katara styled her hair into her signature loops. It was going to be a good day, she told herself. She paused before leaving. Removing her hair from the loops, she tied it up in a Fire Nation style. The thing she missed most, other than wearing her mother’s necklace, was not being able to style her hair in a Water Tribe fashion.

Finally satisfied with her appearance, she went outside to find the others still asleep. The sun was just rising and there was a slight chill in the air. Taking a deep breath, she could smell the aroma of early summer flowers blooming in the nearby woods.

She began to prepare breakfast when a noise caught her attention. Looking over at Toph’s rock-tent, she could see the younger girl tossing in her sleep. Walking over quietly, she knelt down next to the shelter. “Are you alright?”

“Mom? Is that you?” Toph asked sleepily. 

“No, it’s me, Katara.” 

She sat up, rubbing her eye groggily. “What’s going on? Are we under attack?”

Katara shook her head, “You were tossing around, I thought you might be having a nightmare.”

“I was,” Toph said, glancing down. “It’s fine though, it’s over now.”

“Do you want to talk about it? I know talking through my nightmares always helps me.”

She considered it for a moment before replying, “No, I’m alright. Do you need some help making breakfast?”

“Sure,” Katara answered with a smile, not wanting to push the matter. “If you could set up a fire pit that would be great, then I can get the dumplings cooking.”

“No problem,” Toph grinned, stepping out of her makeshift tent. Walking over to an open area of the field, she cleared a section of dirt away to make room for the fire. With a flick of her wrist, she lined the small crater with rocks. Looking over at Katara, she nodded, “All done.”

“Wow, great job Toph! Now all I need to do is collect some wood for the fire. Want to come with me?” 

She nodded, “Just last night I felt a tree fall nearby. We could pick up some wood there.”

“Sounds great,” Katara smiled. “Lead the way.” Although she had decided to not pressure Toph, she wanted her to open up. Keeping emotions locked up wasn’t healthy. There had to be some way to help without making her uncomfortable.

The woods were more dense than Toph had remembered, but she could feel a slightly worn path leading to where she felt the vibrations. No light shone through, giving the woods an eerie feel, even in the early morning hours, Tree branches wove together tightly, as if battling each other for survival and expansion. Katara glanced around nervously, unable to shake the feeling that they were being watched.

“We’re almost there,” Toph whispered. However, she wasn’t sure whether she was saying that to comfort Katara or herself. A low hanging branch became snagged on Toph’s sleeve, causing her to yelp in surprise. 

“It’s alright,” Katara reassured her. “Just a tree limb. Let me untangle it for you.” 

“No,” Toph replied irritably, “I can do things for myself, I don’t need anyone’s help.”

“Oh,” she answered, looking down, “okay then. No worries.” Something was up, she realized. She needed to get to the bottom of this. 

A vibration rippled across the ground, causing Katara to fall against a nearby tree. Toph looked around, fear flashing across her face. “Did you feel that too?”

“I did,” she nodded, “do you know what it is?”

“No,” Toph sighed, “it’s too far off for me to read the vibrations. But it’s something big. We have to get out of here now.” A roar rumbled through the woods and Katara felt a chill down her spine. 

“I think I know what it is,” Katara muttered as the large creature lumbered closer, “a platypus bear.”

As soon as the woods left her mouth, a tree fell nearby, shaking the ground. A large platypus bear stood mere feet away, growling at them in a low tone. “I think that’s our cue to leave,” Toph said quickly. 

Katara took her hand, “Here, follow me.” 

Yanking her hand away, Toph shook her head. “No, I don’t need anyone’s help. I can get out of here on my own.” Turning away, she began running back down the path. 

Katara cleared her throat, “Uh, camp is that way.” 

Toph frowned, “Oh, right, I knew that.” She turned back towards Katara, running towards camp. The platypus bear growled again, starting to give chase. Thinking Toph was right behind her, Katara raced ahead, lungs burning. 

“We’re almost there,” she said breathlessly. “Toph?” Risking a glance backwards, her heart stopped. Toph was nowhere in sight. “Oh spirits,” she muttered. “Toph where are you?”

Sprinting back down the trail, she looked around frantically. Finally she saw a wall of rock blocking the path, Toph huddling next to it, her knees pulled close to her chest.

“Toph, there you are! Are you alright? What happened?” 

“I tripped on a root and he caught up with me,” she sounded fearful, and as Katara drew nearer, she could tell Toph was shaking. “Luckily I was able to use earthbending to hold him off,” her voice trembled. 

Katara sat down next to her, “Are you alright?”

“I am, no thanks to you. You left me!”

“What are you talking about? You said that you didn’t need anyone’s help!”

Toph looked down, “Well maybe I do!”

“Is this about your nightmare?”

“Let’s talk about it back at camp, alright? I really don’t want to be caught out here with that thing again.” They walked back towards the campsite in a stiff silence, neither sure what to say. When they finally got back, Toph turned to Katara.

“I had a nightmare about my parents. They received my letter, but didn’t want me back. The war was over, and we won, but we all went our separate ways. No one needed me, I was all alone. So I decided, if no one needs me then I don’t need anyone else.”

“Toph, you’re a part of our family now. I’m sure your parents want you back, but no matter what happens, we’ll be here for you.” Katara wrapped her in a hug, not wanting her to feel all alone.

Toph hugged her back, “ _ I don’t want to be alone _ ,” she sniffled. “It’s been a few weeks, why haven’t I heard back from them?” 

“Messenger hawks aren’t always the fastest way to send letters,” she smiled. “Besides, we have been travelling around a lot. It might be a bit hard to find us. But either way, we’re your family, and we’ll be by your side.” 

“Hey guys,” Sokka said, entering the campsite through the woods, “I just found this huge platypus bear nest, although I may have upset the mom. All I wanted to do was play with the cubs,” he scoffed, crossing his arms. “So if a giant creature comes barrelling through here, sorry in advance. Wait what happened to you guys?” 

“A platypus bear happened,” Toph scowled, launching a rock towards him. Katara laughed, and Toph knew, no matter what happened with her parents, her true family was right here.   


**Author's Note:**

> I really wish the show would have given us more Katara and Toph scenes, their friendship is so underrated! As always, kudos and comments are appreciated! Love you all! <3


End file.
